When You Do What You Do
"We almost didn't make it, but all kidding aside, who's bombing roads?" Mark asked quizzically.
Nathan looked at Lara. "I don't know, but Lara is a---"
"A field agent," Lara interrupted him. "For ATF," she lied. "And yes, I was wondering myself, if it was military. Remember me asking you that Nathan, on the way here?"
Nathan just looked at her, his mouth slightly open from being cut off and eyes narrowed to thin slits.
Mark noticed the strange look he gave her but said nothing.
"Yeah, I do seem to remember that Lara," he clarified oddly. "I think your bump on the head affected me worse than it did you, Agent Halburg."
Mark and Sherri both raised their brows over the strange interchange between Nathan and this Lara, but they really wanted to hear what had happened to Nate, and where he had been, and said as much asserting that everyone had been worried sick.
Lara stood up to excuse herself, but Nathan grabbed her arm and held on. "No, I'd like you to stay," he drawled ominously, wondering what kind of game she was playing. He thought better of his actions, though and told Mark and Sherri to give them a moment and he got up, pulling her with him. He led her out through a small gardening type room and out a side door, the only one not boarded up, and around to a small, red brick, rounded plaza with a fire pit. It was the only place Donelle allowed smoking.
It was dark out there, and darker still beyond the house, and Nathan turned her instantly around to face him. "You're just a little liar, aren't you Lara?"
"No," she hissed. "I'm just not ready to discuss the situation."
"No? Pray tell why not? Have you even been honest with me at all woman, or is this some nasty game, some made up crazy psyop? Because I want to know. These people are my family, they trust me, and I'm sure the hell not going to be the one who brings a rat to the table," he whispered venomously from between bared teeth.
She tried to walk away but he clenched her upper arms and pulled her back to face him again. "Well," He reproved her. "What's the answer?"
"You know the answer," she spat back infuriated. "You think I could make all that up? All of this! You'd be a bigger fool than I thought if so!" she railed furiously.
He searched her face for some semblance of candor, those green eyes of his hitting her soul like lethal shards of jade. When he could not find what he was looking for he pulled her body against his rigid chest and his lips crashed against her mouth, unyielding at first and then softer as he felt her respond. He lingered gently before skimming his lips across her face. He pulled away and looked deep into the blue oceans of torment in her eyes, satisfied that he had his answer.
She jerked from his arms when she really wanted to disappear in his grasp, looking defiantly back at him, her chin thrust forward stubbornly.
He shook his head before giving her a disapproving brow. "Don't lie," he advised her firmly.
She jerked around and went back in the way she had been brought out, and finding Donelle, asked if she could lie down, feigning a headache. Donelle took her straight back to a room and told her to make herself at home, pulling the door closed behind her as she left.
Nathan casually smoked a cigarette, threw the butt in the fire pit and went inside.
From the shadows near the house, Len Cloud emerged and stepped onto the small plaza porch. He grabbed a patio chair and eased into it, propping his feet up on the stone lip of the fire pit and stared into the dark skies above him.
Back inside Nathan found Mark and the two of them poured a bourbon shot and downed them together. After a moment of silence Mark told Nathan to follow him.
"I want to show you where Len set up a communication room."
Nathan nodded, and they walked down a long hall off the great room past a laundry and mud room back into what was Donelle's small garden room.
Len had moved all the potting tools, pots and plants off a work bench and constructed his ham radio system.
The two of them sat down on metal folding chairs and Nathan looked it over. Presently he asked Mark where Miranda was. Mark said nothing for a long time and Nate felt his chest tighten with dread.
"She didn't make it Nate," he confided.
"Holy Mother of God," Nathan breathed. "Deag hasn't even mentioned it."
"No, he's not doing too good Nate. But he doesn't want to upset the kids," Mark confided.
"I guess Lara isn't the only one keeping secrets," Nathan professed.
"He'll come around Nate. But what about this girl?"
"I think she's just insecure. I had a little talk with her and I think I made things clear. Just to let you know, she's not ATF. She's a federal agent with the Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Weapons Unit. A U.S. Government Official. I guess the little lies are just part of the job."
"Damn Nate," Mark whistled. "When you go, you go big."
"She knew Dad, Mark. Had contact with him as little as five years ago."
They heard a gasp behind them and jerked around almost upsetting their chairs. Donelle stood there, her face as white as a ghost, grabbing the door jam for support. Nathan jumped up and brought her into the room and closed the door behind them.
"When were you going to tell me Nate?" She asked, her eyes accusing him outright.
Nate looked at Mark with a hard look. "Right now, Mom. I'm going to tell you right now."
"Damn straight you are," she agreed with a stiff nod. "And I want to know every last thing."
"I'll tell her Nathan. I'll tell her everything." Lara stood in the doorway looking as composed as ever, and back to her confident demeanor.
Donelle walked up to her, and Nathan worried for a moment that his mother might go off on her, but she didn't. Instead, she waved them out of the room in that bossy, unruffled way she used to do when he and Deag were little, simply saying it was time to call a family meeting.
Back in the great room, Donelle got everyone's attention, and gathered the group around the long oak table in the middle of the room.
Lara had gone out to the SUV and retrieved the metal case that held all the binders that represented years of investigatory work and opened it up for all to see. There was no reason to hide any of it anymore. Nathan was so right about what he had said earlier, and she had fast concluded that for any of them to survive they would all have to know what they were dealing with. Nathan stood back and watched her shine. And she did just that. Len stood by with Nathan, relieved with the turn of events.
He patted his friend solemnly on the back. For many reasons, some he couldn't explain, but one for certain. They had seen this day coming, and he knew they were as prepared as possible.
Deag sat by his mother holding Neala in his lap and Rois sat on a chair by Donelle, when suddenly Deag stood up and went around to stand by Lara. Everyone went silent as he stood there working up the guts to speak. He took a deep breath and started on a shaky whisper. He cleared his throat and spoke up, holding his daughter tight against his chest.
"I know some of you here, well, a lot of you, didn't know my wife Miranda very well, and I guess that its mostly my fault. But, I need to say that, I need everyone to know, we lost her this week. I lost my wife to this illness. My children have lost their Mom. And I know this is a real thing now. Its not some conspiracy, or doomsday theory. Its real. That's all I can say right now," he choked out.
Lara placed a hand on his shoulder. "I am very sorry for your family. And I'm going to do everything I can to get this information to the right person or persons who can work to find an answer. I can't promise a cure but we're all going to work together. That was very brave of you. Maybe getting this information can comfort you somehow. I hope it gives you reason to fight back for humanity. Because civilization may very well be at stake."